Just Super Ep. 7: Bonding

“You know what? For a smart-assed know-it-all, you’re all right.”

-Keith Green to Sam Daylin, Oct. 27^th 2016

***

Milano’s was a small pizza café in the southeastern part of town. The guys that run it are both straight from Italy and I’d found that their pizza is the town’s best kept secret. Keith and I sat at a small table out on their patio, him nursing a domestic beer, me taking long drags off my cigarette and doing my best to avoid awkward conversation.

Dusk was coming on and the cool autumn breeze felt great as it gently caressed my face as I watched the leaves of the trees across the street dance and sway to nature’s rhythm. Autumn was always my favorite season. Not the sweltering heat of summer or the bitter cold of winter, but the happy medium. The browns and reds of the trees always seemed more beautiful to me than the lush yellows and greens of the spring and summer months. Jenn always kidded with me that finding the death of the leaves more beautiful than their birth spoke volumes about my personality. Perhaps she was right.

I looked over to find Keith staring at the trees as well, and was mildly surprised when he smiled faintly and spoke. “Beautiful, isn’t it? I love the fall. It’s my favorite time of year.”

I nodded as I flicked the ash from my cigarette into the tray in front of me. “Yeah, I was just thinking that.”

“I wanted to apologize to you.”

Now I wasn’t just mildly surprised, I was downright bewildered. “Oh?”

His gaze never left the trees, as though eye contact would make things too hard, too personal. “I’ve been kind of a jerk towards you the past couple of weeks. I’m not used to being around people a lot, or letting them into my world- no one but Jenn. It’s been hard, and I’m sure it hasn’t been a picnic for you either, but you’ve done a lot to help me out and I wanted you to know that I appreciate it.”

He took a swig from his beer, as though to wash the aftertaste of the apology from his mouth. I winced sympathetically. That couldn’t have been easy for him to admit. I decided to bite the bullet and extend an olive branch of my own. It’d make Jenn happy.

“It’s no problem Keith. I understand. I’m not used to being around people much myself, and I haven’t exactly been the model roommate either. So let’s just call it even and start fresh.”

“Sounds like a plan to me.”

We both raised our beers and took a drink, then went back to our nature watch until the food came. We each dished a slice of steaming pizza the size of Rome onto our plates and I got the third shock of the evening as Keith casually asked, “So what’s the deal with you and Jennifer? You back together now or what?”

I almost choked on my pepperoni. “Excuse me?”

He continued on as though we were talking about the Grizzlies game while I struggled frantically not to freak out, flashbacks of him lifting me one handed off the ground as though I were a paperweight assaulting my stunned brain. “You two used to be a pretty serious item back in college, right?”

I managed to swallow the bite of pizza and chased it with a long pull of my beer before answering, “That’s right, but that was a long time ago.”

He smirked. “Yeah, but I’ve seen the way you two still look at each other. There’s something there.”

I considered making a run for it but since he could move faster than the speed of sound, it was a safe bet I wouldn’t get too far. The look on my face must have spoke volumes for me because he started to laugh. That freaked me out more than anything. “What’s so funny?”

He gestured at me with his slice of pizza as he took a bite. “You are. You look like you’re afraid I’m going to leap over the table and kick the shit out of you or something.”

“Or something,” I murmured.

“Relax, Sam. If I wanted to hurt you I’d have done it already.”

He winked, and I felt my face go hot. “And if Jenn and I are interested in each other?”

He shrugged. “Good for you. As long as she’s happy, I am. She’s like a sister to me and you’re a pretty decent guy. She could do worse…and has in the past.”

I wasn’t sure if he was referring to himself by that last comment or not but decided not to press my luck. “I’m glad to hear that, Keith.”

He shrugged again as he took another bite of pizza. “Of course, if you hurt her I’ll tear you apart…literally.”

I drained my bottle of beer and gestured at our waiter to bring me another. “Gee, Keith, I’m so glad we had this chance to talk.”

“Me too.”

We ate in silence for a while after that, and it wasn’t until the pizza was gone and we’d had a few beers in us that he spoke again. “So, honestly, you think this whole thing is going to work?”

I shrugged as I wiped pizza sauce from the corner of my mouth. “I honestly don’t know. You have amazing abilities, and I think it’s very noble of you to want to do what you can with them-“

“While I can?”

He was smiling but I could sense the nugget of fear behind it. “Yeah, while you can. You’re learning to use your…talents in more exciting and creative ways every day. Just in the last week you’ve grown leaps and bounds, as far as juggling what you can do. I think if you start slow and are careful about it…”

He nodded absently as I trailed off, his gaze lost back into the trees now just barely visible behind the glare of the street lights. “Yeah, I guess all I can do is get out there and get my feet wet and see what happens. The suit was cool, by the way. I’m looking forward to giving it a trial run tonight.”

I saluted with my beer bottle before draining it. “Glad I could help.”

He glanced at his watch then motioned for our waiter. “Speaking of which, it’s getting about that time. Jenn will be waiting for us.”

“Well, we can’t have that.” I pulled out my wallet and laid some cash on the table. “Dinner’s on me.”

He started to hand the money back to me. “You don’t have to do that.”

I stopped him and smirked. “Do me a favor. Take me up tonight for a few minutes and we’ll call it even. I’d never admit it to Jenn but I’ve been a Superman fan since I was a little kid and I’ve always wanted to see what it was like to fly.”

He returned the smile as he stood up and pulled on his jacket. “Deal.”

“Just don’t drop me.”

“I make no promises.”